Child of Fire
by Masked Man 2
Summary: After saving the life of a young orphan boy, Dustfinger takes him on as his apprentice. Together, they travel the Inkworld, going wherever the wind blows them, until the very end.


**Author's note: Hello, all who are reading this! For those of you who may care to know, this is my second **_**Inkheart **_**story. If you like this one, you might also want to give my other story, **_**That's not all I am, **_**a try. Or perhaps not. Either way, I hope you enjoy this one!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Inkheart.**_

In the light of the early evening, the Wayless Wood was alive with sound. Fairies and birds flitted through the great trees, and night-roaming creatures awoke from their daily slumber, slinking through the undergrowth in search of a meal.

Any traveler passing through the wood would have seen it for what it was: a wild place, beautiful in its chaos. If they'd looked closer, however they would've seen a sight that seemed not to belong within the wildness of the wood.

A group of boys was stood huddled behind a tree, staring intently at a buzzing nest of fire-elves. They were of the Motley Folk, those wandering players who performed all over Lombrica and Argenta. Their troupe was currently camped at a stream, miles away from where they were. These boys were alone, with their own mischief as company.

"Get closer to it, Miya. Four steps," commanded the oldest of the boys. Cardenio was his name, and among the younger members of their troupe, he was the leader. Confident and accustomed to giving orders, his word was law; if Cardenio asked you to something.

Miya, his current target, didn't know that yet. He was a newcomer; no one seemed to know where he was from. Some thought that he hailed from over the mountains, and indeed, he certainly had the exotic looks to suggest that.

His black hair was wavy and fell to his waist, and his skin was the color of new copper. His features and build were delicate and cat-like; perhaps he had some fairy ancestry. His eyes were by far his most unnerving feature; they were slanted, wide, and the color of water. Right now, they looked into the brown eyes of Cardenio with abject terror.

"But...I can't…."

"Are you afraid, Miya?" Cardenio smirked, brushing his dark hair out of his face. "Are you too much of a coward to get closer?"

"Leave him alone. Just because he doesn't want to go near the elves doesn't make him a coward," said the last boy, Jonras.

Among the players, he was renowned as a dancer and a singer, and was shockingly handsome to boot. His chestnut hair was wavy and long, and his features were sharp and perfectly balanced. His eyes were greenish gold, with flecks of blue and brown, and he had the slender, wiry build of an acrobat.

He crossed his lanky arms and glared at Cardenio. The older boy raised an eyebrow in return.

"He is a coward, though," he said nonchalantly, "for he's got nothing to lose, and he still won't go.

"Anyway," he added, turning back to Miya, "You don't have to touch it, just get close to it."

"But the elves will see me!" the foreigner cired. "I will be burned!"

"_**SHH!**_" The other boys turned to Miya angrily. "Fool," Cardenio hissed. "We'll _all _be burned if you don't keep your voice down!"

"Sorry."

X X X

As Cardenio, Jonras, and Miya talked, another boy watched them from behind a different tree with envy in his blue eyes. Dionisio tucked his reddish-brown curls behind his ears and sighed. How he _wished _the others would see him, ask him to join them! But that would never happen.

He had been found by the Motley Folk two years ago, starving and half-dead, grieving for his parents, who had died in the Adderhead's dungeons. The players had taken him in, fed him, and gave him a place to spend the night. When they discovered his penchant for juggling, they had let him stay.

Still, even though he had a place to consider 'home,' it wasn't a happy one. Being the youngest of the boys, he was often left out of the others' games. He was small, weak, and shy: useless in their eyes. Even the adults barely talked to him. In fact, just this morning, Cardenio had told him something that had made his heart break….

X X X

"_Can I come with you to the nest? Oh, please, Cardenio?" Dionisio begged. The older boy rolled his eyes._

"_Dionisio, I would love to say yes. Really, I would. It's just that...well, the nest is a long way away. You wouldn't be able to keep up with us."_

"_But I would! I'm just as strong as the rest of you!"_

"_Now, that's not true, and you know it," he replied caustically. "There's no need to make a fuss. Perhaps if we go somewhere closer next time, you can come with us."_

"_But-"_

"_Look," Cardenio snapped, losing his patience. "If we wanted you with us, we'd let you come. Truth is, you'll just slow us down. Just stay here, Dionisio. Find something you _can _do."_

X X X

Those words made the young boy's heart burn. That the others didn't want him...it killed him. He could do anything they could; why could they not see that?

_Hell with this, _he thought, straightening his shoulders. _I'll show them._

"I'll go," he called, loud enough for the others to hear. "I'll go to the nest."

Cardenio whirled around, his eyes widening. "What are you doing here?!"

"I followed you," Dionisio said, pride coloring his words. "And I can go to the nest, too, just you wait!"

"You wouldn't make it two steps," he replied derisively, recovering his composure.

"I can, and I will! Just watch!"

"Dionisio, wait!" Jonras cried. "You don't know what you're doing!"

Dionisio ignored their shouts. Slowly, he stepped out from behind the tree, and walked toward the nest with his head held high. The sounds of the others faded into the background, and the buzzing of the elves seemed magnified.

"We have to stop him!" Jonras grabbed the sleeve of Cardenio's tunic, his eyes wild. "We can't just let him go!"

"If we go, we could get hurt, too," Cardenio said, but his fear was plain in his eyes. "The elves haven't seen him yet, and he's not going to touch the nest."

"How do you know that?" Tears were streaming down the singer's face. "I heard what you said to him earlier! He'll do anything to prove himself to you! _Anything!_"

Cardenio frowned, and his mouth dropped open when he realized that Jonras was right. _Heavens above, what have I done? _he thought. He bit his lip. "Dionisio, come back!" he shouted. "For Heaven's sake, just come back!"

Dionisio didn't seem to hear him. Instead, he turned, with a triumphant grin on his face. "See?" he called. "I made it!"

"Watch out!" Miya cried suddenly. Everyone looked up sharply, and froze where they stood.

The elves were swarming out of their nest, making a beeline for Dionisio. Jonras closed his eyes.

"Run! Get away from them!" Cardenio shouted. Dionisio, however, didn't move.

"I-I can't…."

"You fool! _RUN!_"

With a collective hiss, the elves flew at the young boy, smothering him and shielding him from view. Dionisio covered his face and fell to the ground, screaming in pain. It was fire, knives, _ice!_ And he couldn't escape!

Suddenly, one of the elves began flying towards the tress that the other boys were hiding behind. Miya, upon sighting the small creature, gasped.

"The elves see us!"

Cardenio squeezed his eyes closed. "Back away," he whispered. "We still have time to escape from it."

"Right! We run, and do what? Leave Dionisio here, where he'll almost _certainly _die, while we _might _get away scot-free? _That's _your plan, O Brave One?" Jonras's words positively dripped with venom. Cardenio felt his blood boil.

"Yes!" he exploded. "Yes, that's my plan! Would you rather all of us die, as opposed to only one?"

"He's one of us!" Jonras yelled back. "We might as well have killed him ourselves if we leave him here! Is that what you want? To be known as a murderer?!"

"If it means getting out of here alive, then yes, I am willing to risk it! Now _**GO!**_"

The elf was almost a foot away from them now, and more were starting to follow. Without a word, the three turned and ran, crashing blindly through the undergrowth. They ran all the way back to their camp without pause, and collapsed on their knees by the cook-fire. The strolling players began crowding around, asking what had happened, what was wrong.

As Jonras and Miya told the story, Cardenio wandered numbly to the edge of the wood. He stood there staring out into the trees until the last of the sun's rays faded away. Enveloped in darkness, he bent his head.

_I'm sorry, Dionisio. _And tears began to fall from his eyes, tears that were swallowed up by this night that was hungry for his sorrow.

X X X

Time lost all meaning. Perhaps he was in the clearing for days, or perhaps it had been mere minutes. All he knew was pain: terrible, all-consuming pain. And it just kept coming.

He was barely conscious now. _Is this how I'm going to die, then? _he wondered. _Will I be forgotten, just a burned husk and a memory in the minds of some? _His eyes slid closed. He could feel blackness threatening to overtake him...it was so warm...so peaceful….

"_Hmm…._" The darkness cracked and broke, disappearing like fog in the sun. The strange humming sound floated into the clearing, and the fire-elves stilled in their frenzy to listen.

Through a haze of pain, Dionisio watched as a figure stalked in through the bushes, clothed in red and black, like a demon. It kept humming: a low, hoarse note that, to the boy's fevered ears, made a music as sweet as that of the angels. He felt his pain lessen, as though that heavenly voice melted the fire with its own.

The elves, too, were soothed by the sound, and they began to fly drowsily back to their nest. The black-and-red figure, still humming, knelt beside Dionisio, and rested a hand that felt as hot and rough as fire on his forehead.

Suddenly, a floating sensation overtook him, and his scorched lips parted in a gasp. The world began to move, and Dionisio realized that the figure was walking away.

"Shh," it whispered. "You're safe now. Save your strength. I'm trying to help you." Dionisio tried to respond, but all that came out was a faint croak. "What did I just say?" his saviour admonished gently. "Quiet now, and rest."

Rest...that sounded like a dream….Dionisio felt pain everywhere, and he was so tired…

The darkness crept up on him again, and he slipped into its comforting embrace without a second thought.

**So there you have it! I hope you enjoyed that, and if you didn't, then I can't blame you. Either way, make sure to review!**

**A note on ages:**

**Cardenio: 13**

**Miya: 12**

**Jonras: 11**

**Dionisio: 9 **

**Well, that's all from me. Hopefully, the next chapter won't be too long in coming! For now, **_**hasta la vista! **_


End file.
